Friday, 21 January 2011

The First of 2011

Ooooh, don't you just feel so much better when the sun is out, the sky is blue and the birds are singing? When you can throw open your doors and windows and pretend it's not gloomy old miserable old January! Well I know I do (and I do hope it's sunny with you today, too) and the Gods must really be smiling on me today as I have a little something to show you, indeed, the first "ta-dah" of the year, and that was always going to be much better ta-dah in the outdoor sunshine.

Thinking about where I might take my snaps today, I was reminded that I had not shown you my Bridport purchase, which is this little turquoise table-thingy.

Truthfully, I had no idea where I was going to put it but when I spotted it on the pavement at one of the street market stalls, I knew that for a mere £25 I could not pass it up, not when it didn't even need painting and had that pretty patterned vintage formica stuff on the top. I mean, it's turquoise!!! And I knew it would find a home and so for now, it's in the guest room and indeed it's rather fetching, I think.

Well there hasn't been an awful lot of blogging of late but there's been an awful lot of staying in and hiding from the rubbish weather. Not to complain though because indoors, there's always sewing to be done. I actually started on this project waaay back in 2010, I think it was August or September because I bought a few very cheap strip packs of Kaffe Fassett fabric at the International Festival of Quilts and they are what got me started; started on the first quilt of 2011.

My sister long since alerted me to the fact that this is one great Kaffe book. It was published in 2001 so it's an oldie now - but a goodie as the saying goes. The reason we both love it so much is that it features a lot of vintage quilts and they really are quite spectacular.

Like this one, with Kaffe's gorgeous needlepoint cushions and pottery.

What started to strike me about these quilts is that many featured that very busy, dotty blue-ish background.

This is one of Kaffe's own modern quilts, but still with a vintage vibe, don't you think? And there's those blue-y dots again.

And so, many months ago, I started on a project loosley inspired by these pages. There was also the fact that I had accumulated quite a stash of Kaffe's fabrics which I had yet to use in a quilt (I had used bits in quilts but not made them the mainstay of the design). I took up the strips I'd bought at the fair and added in as much as I could from my drawers of scraps and indeed, a few strips chosen and cut specially from my stash.

This has been one of those projects I've picked up and worked on now and then, in between everything else (the other twenty quilts I made last year!) You need a lot of space around you to lay out the myriad of strips so it's a project you have to work on and not be doing anything else. But it's not the most enthralling type of piecing, indeed fairly laborious, so I'd sew a few blocks and then move onto something else, coming back when I had spare time. This also meant I had a good, eclectic mix of fabrics as I'd be able to incorporate the scraps from whatever other projects I'd been working on. And so this week, it started looking a bit like this...

Indeed, like this...

The pattern I have used came courtesy of this generous blogging lady. It doesn't seem a difficult design to execute as you add strip after strip but it's only when you come to put all the blocks together that you realise actually, there are quite a few points to match up and you have to be careful because you're working with a lot of bias edges. There's quite a lot of waste because you are effectively using the background fabric (the Kaffe's sky dots) as a foundation to piece onto and you cut away and discard two thirds of this afterwards. I have quite a pile!

It's a very clever design though, not only do you get those fabby spiderwebs of brightly hued strips, but you magically get a sky blue dotty star, too! Oh I love this quilt!

Love, love, love!

With the sun backlighting it, the back of the quilt looks quite funky!

I have treated this quilt to a fancy backing fabric, "Herringbone", which is one of the Liberty art fabrics which Kaffe recently re-coloured. John Lewis had most of these on sale at half price in the New Year, hence my splurge. (I'm wondering if these are being discontinued already? Many were sludge coloured but the blues were absolutely beautiful.) I love the binding which is another Liberty art fabric in a serpentine design, brilliantly named "Punk Stripe"!

For the first time, I used Quilter's Dream Blend batting, which is a 70% cotton/30% polyester mid-loft blend (available here in the UK). I really liked this batting, it feels substantial within the quilt but is very easy to work with. I shall be using it again.

So there it is, my first completed quilt of the new year, hmm it could even be my most favourite quilt I've made so far. I think this quilt would look good displayed on a wall so it could yet oust Rupert! For now, though, I need to be able to fondle it a while longer.

Absolutely stunning! I love the fabrics you've used. I've enjoyed looking through your blog at all the quilts you've completed and I am going to take my first steps into quilting this weekend with a cushion!

Good aternoon Hen that quilt is really fantabulous - ohh i just made that up - I love it. Love the table too. I agree that the blue sky, birds singing and being able to open the windows wide makes you feel better. Have a great weekend.

Oh, that is beautiful Hen...have a lovely weekend, we did not get to Pickering last weekend, instead we went to Downham, where they filmed Born and Bred, a fave program of mine!which happens to be on today......:>)

An utterly charming quilt to start the year off with. Confession, I'm a bit jealous of your fabrics, Liberty costs a fortune over here. I am so glad that the library in the neighboring town has all of Fasset's old books, so that I can visit them like old friends. He would be very proud of your latest.

Hen!!!!!!!!!! This quilt is a TRIUMPH! My favourite of all the quilts you've made infact, and so you, in the colours and choice of patterns, it really is the most stunningly beautiful quilt, and I actually covet this one so much, I feel a bit sick with the wanting of it. It's a work of art and should definitely go on your wall as a beatiful, exquisite work of art, I'm so impressed. I loved your Rupert quilt when you made that, but this is scrumptious. And the photos of your cats are hilarious. I love how stubborn cats can be, and I love it even more that you don't move them, that's even funnier! Love Vanessa xxx

That quilt is to die for gorgeous. You have really set the bar high for yourself for 2011 if this is the beginning :-> I always love your blog because it is full of so much cheer and beautiful bright and fun colors.xo, suzy

That's funny, I'm working a spiderweb too. But a cushion...no quilt for me! :D This is a good quilt to start the year off as it's gorgeous! I really like the blue dot background. And I love the blue table. It complements your quilts perfectly!

Oh I just have to agree with them that your collection were truly beautiful. They all look so stunning and impressive. I just can't resist my self be stunned with those lovely colors, fascinating! I simple adore your talent that is truly one of a kind and those stuffs are really interesting. I'm very grateful I was able to browsed your page that indeed inspired and helped me.

My Den

About Me

Hello and thank you for visiting the HenHouse. I'm a stay-at-home thirty-something mum looking after Mr HenHouse and the Munchkin, aged 13 (going on 18). We also have a gorgeous and very spoiled ginger tom, Charlie Boy. Sadly we had to say goodbye to our two other furry boys this year. We have recently moved from the city to our dream home in the West Country. I have always loved vintage and have collections of eiderdowns, china and fabrics to name just a few. I love sewing and am an avid patchworker and quilter. As a family, we are dotty about the past and love the 1940s, often dressing up for re-enactment events. To fund my fabric habit, I sell handmade items in my Etsy shop. I'm pretty nutty about interiors, too and our homes have been featured in various magazines.